The moon comes home too
Onthewayhome,LilanoticedapaleMoonabovetherooftops.Shewaved.Atthenextcorner,itwasstillthere.Shewalkedpastthebakery.Stillthere.‘Dad,’shewhispered,‘IthinktheMoonwantstocomehomewithus.’
Dadstoppedbesideabench.‘Let'swatchwhathappensaswewalk.’Lilachoseanearbylamppost,adistanthill,andtheMoon.Astheymoved,thelamppostslippedbehindthem.Thehillseemedtomovemuchless.TheMoonhardlyseemedtochangeitsplaceatall.
‘Nearthingsshiftinourviewalot,’Dadsaid.‘Farawaythingsshiftmuchless.TheMoonismuchfartherawaythanthathill.’Lilalookedbackatthelamppost.Ithadn'trunoff,either.Shehadmoved.‘SotheMooncanlooklikeit'scomingwitheverybody?’‘Lotsofpeoplecanhavethatsamefeeling.’
Lilaimaginedchildrenonotherstreetslookingupfromtheirownwalks.Perhapssomebodywascarryingaloafofbread.Perhapssomebodyhadaredscooter.TheycouldallfeelasthoughtheMoonhadchosentheirroute.
Athome,sheplacedhershoesneatlybesidethedoor.‘Youcan'tcomeinside,’shetoldtheMoonthroughthewindow.‘Butyoucanstayoutthere.’Thensheadded,‘Iknowyou'renotreallyfollowingme.It'sstillnicetoseeyou.’
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On the way home, Lila noticed a pale Moon above the rooftops. She waved. At the next corner, it was still there. She walked past the bakery. Still there. ‘Dad,’ she whispered, ‘I think the Moon wants to come home with us.’
Dad stopped beside a bench. ‘Let's watch what happens as we walk.’ Lila chose a nearby lamp post, a distant hill, and the Moon. As they moved, the lamp post slipped behind them. The hill seemed to move much less. The Moon hardly seemed to change its place at all.
‘Near things shift in our view a lot,’ Dad said. ‘Faraway things shift much less. The Moon is much farther away than that hill.’ Lila looked back at the lamp post. It hadn't run off, either. She had moved. ‘So the Moon can look like it's coming with everybody?’ ‘Lots of people can have that same feeling.’
Lila imagined children on other streets looking up from their own walks. Perhaps somebody was carrying a loaf of bread. Perhaps somebody had a red scooter. They could all feel as though the Moon had chosen their route.
At home, she placed her shoes neatly beside the door. ‘You can't come inside,’ she told the Moon through the window. ‘But you can stay out there.’ Then she added, ‘I know you're not really following me. It's still nice to see you.’
What we learned
Nearby objects shift more in our view as we move. The very distant Moon seems to stay with us.
